Recently in Economy Category

"It's not the way that you say it when you do those things to me, it's more the way that you mean it when you tell me what will be." --HeywardI often get Paul Krugman and Thomas Friedman confused, so I can't remember who addressed the now infamous 47 percent first, but it is clear that the statements weren't as much gaffes per se, but Freudian slips. The statement most telling wasn't made by Mitt...

ProPublica, a great independent website that helps cut through all the political spin, has a Bailout Tracker, which follows the flows of funds from the bailout.  Here's their latest summary: The Bailout ScorecardLast update: Aug. 29, 2012Altogether, accounting for both the TARP and the Fannie and Freddie bailout, $604 billion has gone out the door--invested, loaned, or paid out--while $319 billion has been returned.The Treasury has been earning a return on most of the money...

Nick Hanauer has been called an 'uber-rich' guy, and for good reason. In the time it takes to check out this link, he'll make more than most people do in a year.What makes him interesting enough to read about and watch is the fact that he think he should be taxed more and folks like us should be taxed less.Check him out below (be sure to watch the 6-minute video in the link) because, sadly,...

I was sitting in on a conference call at work when our national supervisor announced that one in two college graduates this year would either be unemployed or underemployed. I believe it. I took this job about two weeks ago and it is described as an entry level position. I make minimum wage unless I reach certain sales incentives. As you might suspect, I never dreamed I'd be making minimum wage when I walked across...

Cross-posted message for soldiers and families on Memorial Day.http://www.untilmysoncomeshome.com/2012/05/memorial-day-2012.html...

My soldier had confirmation last week that he would indeed be deploying to Afghanistan next year. Bear in mind that we are supposedly going through a 'drawdown' in Afghanistan through 2014. But then again, we've now signed an agreement with Afghanistan to help them 'police' things for ten years (at least) after that.When will we figure it out?Did you know that one of the largest deposits of lithium in the world is supposedly in Afghanistan?...

This morning, MS-NBC reported that Mitt Romney paid the same of amount of money in taxes on his 113 million dollars of income last year as Barack Obama did on his three million dollars in income. That's not percentage people. That's actual dollars. Of course, I'm sure your president isn't getting hosed by the IRS, so we are left to wonder exactly who is getting hosed on this deal.Mitt Romney is Republican candidate that has...

If you haven't seen the Halftime in America commercial featuring Clint Eastwood, you have to take a couple of minutes and watch.  It was Classic Clint, gruff voice and all, talking about how we pulled together to save the auto industry and how Detroit, and the US, is recovering.  It put into words what many of us believe.  Have a look:It was the perfect message, especially yesterday.  The reaction of some to the message, of...

The headline at National Review Online reads "Federal Workers Overcompensated." It refers to this study just released by the Congressional Budget Office comparing wages and benefits of federal government employees versus their counterparts in the private sector, illustrated by this chart: As you can see, the difference in wages isn't that much. The higher wages-21% more--for those with a high school education or less are almost exactly offset by the lower wages-23% less--for those with...

It's been a long time. I want to introduce myself. My name is Scott Barzilla and I am unemployed. Back in November, things were picking up. I had what seemed like a firm offer from an insurance company and I got a holiday job at Barnes and Noble. That job went away when the holidays ended and the insurance company is still doing background checks. Meanwhile, I've shelled out nearing 500 dollars getting certified. It's...